Unexpected: Finding Resilience through Functional Medicine, Science, and Faith

By Jill Carnahan and Sara Gottfried

In Unexpected, Dr. Jill Carnahan shares her story of facing life-altering illness, fighting for her health, and overcoming sickness using both science and faith so that others can learn to live their own transformative stories. 

There are times in each of our lives when change and uncertainty threaten to disrupt everything we thought was true. It may occur after a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, or another unexpected circumstance that threatens our health, safety or security.  Written as our world is changing at an exponential rate, Dr. Jill Carnahan’s riveting and compassionate exploration of healing through Functional Medicine introduces a new paradigm for readers where darkness and fear are replaced with hope, resilience, profound healing, unconditional love, and unexpected miracles.

Each chapter reveals practical advice that can be readily used for conditions like mold toxicity, cancer, autoimmune conditions, Lyme disease, and more. Dr. Jill’s raw and honest account of her own challenges facing life-threatening illness, living with autoimmunity and mold toxicity, trying to save a failed marriage, and the harsh realities of working in a medical system that has no tolerance for stepping outside the lines, reveals a new path of empowerment for taking control of our own health and wellbeing. For the skeptic or the faithful, Unexpected is a valuable guide for living an extraordinary life of love and resilience.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Forefront Books
• Release date: Mar 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781637630969

Jill Carnahan

Dr. Jill Carnahan is Your Functional Medicine Expert® dually board certified in Family Medicine for ten years and in Integrative Holistic Medicine since 2015. She is the Medical Director of Flatiron Functional Medicine, a widely sought-after practice with a broad range of clinical services including functional medical protocols, nutritional consultations, chiropractic therapy, naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, and massage therapy. As a survivor of breast cancer, Crohn’s disease, and toxic mold illness she brings a unique perspective to treating patients in the midst of complex and chronic illness. Her clinic specializes in searching for the underlying triggers that contribute to illness through cutting-edge lab testing and tailoring the intervention to specific needs.  Featured in Shape Magazine, Parade, Forbes, MindBodyGreen, First for Women, Townsend Newsletter, and The Huffington Post as well as seen on NBC News and Health segments with Joan Lunden, Dr. Jill is a media must-have. Her YouTube channel and podcast features live interviews with the healthcare world’s most respected names.  A popular inspirational speaker and prolific writer, she shares her knowledge of hope, health, and healing live on stage and through newsletters, articles, books, and social media posts! People relate to Dr. Jill’s science-backed opinions delivered with authenticity, love and humor. She is known for inspiring her audience to thrive even in the midst of difficulties.

Book preview

Cover: Unexpected, by MD Dr. Jill Carnahan

Jill Carnahan, MD

Foreword by Sara Gottfried, MD

Unexpected

Finding Resilience through Functional Medicine, Science, and Faith

PRAISE FOR UNEXPECTED

"In this new book, Unexpected: Finding Resilience through Functional Medicine, Science, and Faith, Dr. Jill Carnahan shares her riveting personal story and uses her shocking diagnosis with aggressive breast cancer at twenty-five-years-old to introduce a new paradigm for readers, where fear and the unknown are replaced with resilience, healing, and a very realistic set of tools to inspire health and communication with those who deal in health."

– DR. MARK HYMAN, author of fourteen New York Times Bestsellers including The Pegan Diet and Food Fix

Dr. Jill Carnahan shares her decades of work in clinical practice and walks you through exactly how to use the right tools in the right ways to make your body work the way you choose. You will rarely find a book where a well-qualified doctor exposes her own medical journey for all to see. Prepare to be inspired and informed when you set this precious book down.

– DAVE ASPREY, father of Biohacking, founder of Bulletproof, and New York Times Bestseller

"Unexpected is a beautiful snapshot into the world of a young woman facing a life-altering diagnosis in the form of an aggressive breast cancer at only twenty-five-years-old. Dr. Jill Carnahan shares her journey with all of us in the hopes that her experience as a patient will help prepare us to fight the unconventional and eventually change how we communicate with those in healthcare. What a read!"

– JOAN LUNDEN, journalist, author, television host, and cohost of ABC’s Good Morning America from 1980 to 1997

"Dr. Jill Carnahan’s Unexpected is one of the few books that guides practitioners and patients through the ups and downs of traveling the health highway—speed bumps, detours, flat tires, and all. Dr. Carnahan is a master storyteller, and this book is a powerful glimpse into her own story, and it is loaded with important protocols from the unexpectedly compassionate and inspiring MD."

– DR. AMY MYERS, New York Times Bestselling Author

"Dr. Jill Carnahan’s book, Unexpected, uses her personal story to create a powerful road map for any reader who has had to face a chronic health condition. It is a guidebook that is loaded with resources to empower patients with new tools to support their journeys—and to know how to communicate with their doctors to encourage a more holistic and partnered approach to root-cause healing."

– DR. FRANK LIPMAN, chief medical officer of The Well, founder of Eleven Eleven Wellness, and bestselling author

"Dr. Carnahan is both a clinical master and an amazing human spirit who brings the best of her years of experience as a true doctor and healer to her book, Unexpected. Through her own personal experience with environmental illness and the successful management of thousands of patients with unexpected chronic illnesses, she lays out a blueprint for the creation of health. This is a must-read for anyone seeking answers on how to manage complex health issues."

– DR. JEFFREY BLAND, FACN, FACB, CNS, functional medicine thought leader, and cofounder of the Institute for Functional Medicine

This is a must-read, inspiring, life-altering book. Unlike the experiences so many of us have with our doctors, Dr. Jill Carnahan is not distant, aloof, or hiding behind her intellect as an MD. She leads with a brave transparency, sharing her compellingly told story as a breast cancer patient with a powerfully kind heart.

– DR. TERRY WAHLS, FACP, IFMCP, and bestselling author of The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles

Dr. Jill Carnahan, like this book, is a light to the world. Her story is one of perseverance, love, and above all, grace. She has been given the extraordinary gift of finding hope for people who are hurting, especially herself.

– RORY FEEK (JOEY+RORY), Grammy-winning music artist, and bestselling author

"In this new book, Unexpected: Finding Resilience through Functional Medicine, Science, and Faith, Dr. Jill Carnahan shares her riveting personal story and uses her shocking diagnosis with aggressive breast cancer at twenty-five to introduce a new paradigm for readers, where fear and the unknown are replaced with resilience, healing, and a very realistic set of tools to inspire health and communication with those who work in healthcare. A must read for those dealing with complex, chronic illnesses looking for innovative ways to heal."

– DR. RICHARD HOROWITZ, New York Times Best Selling Author of Why Can’t I Get Better: Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease

"Unexpected is the deeply personal story of Dr. Jill Carnahan’s compelling life-journey. You will immediately sense her compassion and genuine desire to give people hope to feel vibrant again. After facing her own journey through a life-threatening illness, Dr. Jill used her experiences as a powerful force in shaping her passion for teaching others how to heal and thrive. Every word in this powerful book leaves you with an incredible sense of hope and desire to not only want to live, but also to fall in love with life itself."

– IZABELLA WENTZ, PharmD, FASCP, and New York Times Bestselling Author of Hashimoto’s Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms and Getting Your Life Back

"Unexpected is a deeply personal story of Dr. Jill Carnahan’s compelling life journey. It exemplifies her resilience and innate ability to transform vulnerability into courage. Dr. Jill has truly carried the cross to help the world find infinite health. You will immediately sense her compassion, genuine desire to give people hope that they can feel safe in sickness, and ability to promote wellbeing, no matter what the situation. Dr. Jill ‘s experience is a powerful force in shaping functional medicine and in the teaching of others so her knowledge lives forever. Every word in this powerful book made me feel more alive and reminded me that those of us who heal need to share our gifts for the benefit of others."

– DR. CHAD J. PRUSMACK, MD FAANS, IFMPC, chief of neurosurgery Rocky Mountain Spine Clinic, neurosurgical consultant to the Denver Broncos and the United States Olympic Team, founder of Resilience Code

This book is a glimpse into Dr. Jill Carnahan’s story of becoming the patient and facing a life-altering illness. It is a glimpse of her fighting for her health and overcoming sickness and skeptics by using both science and faith. And if that wasn’t enough, she also offers practical advice and resources to help patients discover powerful new health modalities in functional and alternative medicine. I loved every word in this inspirational and deeply personal book.

– DR. PAMELA W. SMITH, MPH, MS, founder of the Fellowship in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine

I couldn’t put it down! If you’re feeling the constraints of your health issues, Dr. Carnahan will transform your life with easy-to-implement medical tips and a renewed sense of faith and resilience. The author will make you laugh and cry while exciting you with the possibility that an extraordinary existence awaits you. No matter how dark or difficult your health circumstances are, Dr. Jill will encourage and empower you. This was one fascinating read! This beautifully written book should be a required reading for all medical doctors!

– SUZY COHEN, RPh, syndicated columnist, and author of Drug Muggers

"I am thrilled to give five stars to Dr. Jill Carnahan’s book, Unexpected: Finding Resilience through Functional Medicine, Science, and Faith. Dr. Jill is a brilliant clinician, and her book should be read by every medical student in any realm of health, as well as anyone struggling with a health crisis. She is providing a lifestyle Rx—simplifying sophisticated mechanisms into everyday language. This book is a must read!"

– DR. MADIHA SAEED, bestselling author

As a Naturopathic Doctor, I believe Dr. Jill Carnahan has done a remarkable job painting a clear picture of what a serious health crisis looks and feels like from the patient’s point of view and loaded it with protocols and tools that are inspiringly simple and effective wrapped around her deeply personal story. This book will change your life.

– DR. DARIN INGELS, FAAEM, bestselling author of The Lyme Solution

"Jill Carnahan’s new book can be a reference manual for healthcare practitioners, as well as a roadmap to guide any of us toward the health we deserve. In Unexpected, she masterfully integrates decades of clinical experience as an MD with an unflinchingly honest account of what she went through after being diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer in her early twenties while she was in medical school. Her raw and honest account of her own journey reminds us that this is not the dress rehearsal."

– DR. KELLY MCCANN, ABOIM diplomate and renowned mast cell activation expert

In this inspiring book, Dr. Jill Carnahan shares the story of her incredible journey, revealing how her deep faith set the stage for a transformative journey that enabled her to defy expectations and survive a brutal diagnosis of aggressive breast cancer at only twenty-five. She was able to chart a lifelong course filled with meaning and purpose and inspire a new level of patient care. Whether you’re struggling with your own health obstacles, looking to improve your life, or seeking inspiration as a health practitioner. Dr. Jill’s story will give you the inspiration and tools you need.

– DR. RAND MCCLAIN, chief medical officer at Live Cell Research and Regenerative Sports Medicine, and author of Cheating Death: The New Science of Living Longer and Better

This is a must-read book. Dr. Jill Carnahan not only shares her journey through breast cancer, Crohn’s, and mold toxicity, but thoroughly explains how the modern medicine approach needs to change too. She also guides patients to be more proactive in their own healthcare. I appreciated the practical tips and resources she gives us while weaving them in between her heart-felt stories of sadness and triumph. All who are struggling with health issues will find it both helpful and relatable on so many levels. I absolutely loved it from start to finish!

– DR. CARRIE JONES, FABNE, MPH, and author at DUTCH Test

I read Dr. Jill Carnahan’s entire book cover to cover in one plane ride from Phoenix to New Jersey! I couldn’t put it down and absolutely loved it on so many levels. It is loaded with fabulous functional medicine information and beautiful life lessons that I believe will transform the reader. This is a very special book!

– MARGIE BISSINGER, PT, integrative health coach, and happiness trainer

It used to be my limited view that as long as we get the right nutrition, supplements, some sleep, and movement, there is no stopping us to heal and thrive. Dr. Jill, through her own life stories and empathetic encounters of her patients, paints a much more complete picture to healing—one where faith, love, empathy, forgiveness, and intuition are just as critical to our healing.

– MAGDALENA WSZELAKI, bestselling author of Overcoming Estrogen Dominance and Cooking for Hormone Balance

A brilliant functional medicine doctor tells you all her wisdom about the journey from deathly ill to healthy and happy in a homey, approachable way. Practical checklists, wise perspectives, and the steps to fix the health issues draining you and dragging you down keep this book both a fast-paced read and an ongoing resource for what to do to feel your vitality again.

– SUSAN BRATTON, CEO and co-founder of Personal Life Media, Inc.

Unexpected, by MD Dr. Jill Carnahan, Forefront Books

Incurable doesn’t mean healing is not possible. It simply means there is not a drug that reverses the condition.

—Dr. Jill Carnahan

Acknowledgements

I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS my deepest gratitude for the love and support of each person who accompanied me in the journey of writing and publishing this book and especially the Forefront publishing team and TGC.

Thank you to Topher, my writing coach, who encouraged me when I felt like giving up, who kept me afloat when life got crazy, and who taught me how to climb mountains.

I am extremely grateful for Ali, Natalie, Jessica and Loretta, my indispensable office staff, who kept my busy medical clinic afloat while I was seeing patients, writing this book and producing a documentary. And to each of the beautiful women who offer their healing services at the Flatiron Functional Medicine Office: Rene, JoEllen, Haley, Megan, Judy, Nicole, and Crystal, together our healing potential is limitless.

My unconditional love to each of my precious friends who are quick to respond when I need a hike at Mt. Sanitas, a coloring session, a coffee break, or just a prayer: Ilene Naomi, Shelese, Christine, Sarah, Suzy, Sheryl, Ashley, Cheryl, Susie, Claire, Suzanne, Ann, Tammy, Lauryn, Conan, and many others.

To the coffee shops who kept me alert with coconut milk lattes and San Pellegrino during my long writing sessions, I raise my cup to you: Brewing Market, Bittersweet Cafe, and Cavegirl Coffee.

I continue to be forever grateful to my many brilliant professional colleagues who have been guests on my podcast, shared my blog articles, attended my lectures, and encouraged me in ways too numerous to count!

Thank you Daffnee, Kyle, and Peter, my gifted and loyal marketing team for believing in me and very special thanks for Mary Agnes and Viral Integrity Team for managing the book launch process.

To the talented glam squad who brings out the best in me—Heather, Gwen, Kianna, and Laura Rose

To my loving supportive parents, Ken and Kathy, my siblings, Jeff, Jason, Jamie, and Jeremy and their spouses, my stepdaughters Heather and Candice and the inspirational, beloved matriarch of my family, Grandma Farney, my true hero.

To Dan and Aaron of Embark Features, who filmed and encouraged me in the making of the documentary Doctor/Patient while I was writing this book and especially to Phil, our generous executive producer, my deepest gratitude for supporting us in the project.

And to my source of strength and support, love and laughter, and adventure, DW.

Foreword

by Sara Gottfried, MD

WHEN I MET JILL CARNAHAN, M.D., I knew immediately that we would be fast friends and soul mates. Yes, we are close in age. Yes, we are colleagues in integrative and functional medicine. Yes, we are both obsessed with our mission to lessen the suffering of the people we serve. But perhaps more importantly, we both faced challenges early in our careers with health issues that mainstream medicine couldn’t resolve. It led us to question the dogma of mainstream medicine and look for answers beyond the usual silos of disease-based care. We are physicians who want you to avoid unnecessary suffering with your own health issues, but we are also humans searching for purpose and meaning in all that we do. As we healed from our challenges, we built the type of medical practices that we most needed ourselves as patients, and it created an unshakable bond between us that we will share throughout our lifetimes.

Another commonality is that Dr. Jill and I were entrenched in a high-performance, success-driven, science-based healthcare system that continues to be more focused on putting you into a diagnostic box and offering a pharmaceutical and less focused on the body-based, intuitive approach to healing. In fact, the grueling hours of medical training and emotional trauma of having patients on the edge of death may make some physicians more disembodied, robotic, and emotionally unavailable.

I’ve learned most of us need both: care that is evidence-based but grounded in love. And that is what Dr. Jill offers you.

When we first met in person at a medical conference five years ago, I had listened to Dr. Jill’s podcasts about mold and other toxic environmental exposures, hitting the rewind more times than I can count. At the time, I was desperate to understand how mold exposure might be disrupting my hormones and those of my patients. Dr. Jill has a facility with complex topics that makes me swoon intellectually, but under all the knowledge and experience, she is a true healer brimming with love. Maybe you’ve noticed that a lot of today’s physician healers are wounded. Not Jill. It’s the combination of knowledge and wholeness that won me over, and it will win you over too.

I’ve observed in my 25 years of practicing medicine that the people who’ve experienced the greatest hardships—fighting cancer at a young age, dealing with an incurable autoimmune condition, or getting exposed to toxic stress from environmental chemicals, mold, or trauma—often become the most soulful, compassionate, gifted healers and mystics, searching for deeper truths. They are the people who tend to buck convention, so it’s rare to find them at your local hospital or clinic.

Why does trauma create healers and mystics? While it may be hard to explain on a purely scientific basis, we can look at genetics as an example. In my precision medicine practice, I see patients daily who are born with genetic variations that create problems like impairments in detoxification, inability to make sufficient brain neurotransmitters, or predispositions to making more inflammatory chemicals in the body. These genetic variations, especially when a patient has many of them, add up to feeling unwell or struggling with symptoms that fly below the radar of your well-meaning primary care doctor. What I’ve noticed is that the people who have the worst genetic blueprint are paradoxically the most resilient in the face of adversity. They know how to adapt and thrive, because they are very practiced at it, cells to soul. Whether conscious or not, one’s ability to adapt to challenges and grow from trauma may be our greatest opportunity for health and healing. These patients who have suffered, overcome difficult odds, and have been told that there is nothing wrong or nothing else to be done, go on to become the mystics, the seers, and the teachers, showing others the direction we need to go to become whole.

My name is Dr. Sara Gottfried, M.D. I am a Harvard-educated medical doctor, scientist, researcher, teacher, and author of four New York Times bestselling books. Like Dr. Jill, I have been practicing integrative, functional, and precision medicine for many decades. In the process, I have become adept at doing thorough examinations of physical and genetic profiles (called phenotyping) of patients, helping them heal, not only from genetic and biochemical imbalances, but also from the more mysterious aspects of environmental exposures, toxicity, relationships, and traumas that impact the patient’s health. When you stop reaching for pharmaceuticals to mask your symptoms—popping sleeping pills, pain killers, or anti-anxiety medications—you open up an entirely new world of possibility, prevention, healing, and repair, as Dr. Jill shows you in this book.

As you get to know Dr. Jill on these pages, you too will sense that she is a kindred soul. She has weathered many difficult